BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is Scotland's national broadcasting orchestra and considered one of the leading orchestras in Europe. It is one of the five full-time BBC orchestras, and the oldest full-time radio orchestra in Scotland. While most of its performances are in studio for the BBC, it has enjoyed success performing throughout the U.K. and internationally.
The BBC SSO was founded as the BBC Scottish Orchestra in 1935 by conductor and composer Ian Whyte while he served as the first head of music in Scotland for the BBC. Originally located in Edinburgh, the orchestra moved in 1938 to its newly built home in Glasgow. Throughout World War II, the orchestra continued broadcasting its live studio performances for the BBC Home and World Services. Following the war, Whyte expanded the size of the orchestra and in 1948 began the orchestra's annual trip to perform in the Edinburgh Festival. However, the majority of its performances remained in studio.
In 1960, Norman Del Mar was named principal conductor. In 1961, Del Mar lead the BBC Scottish Orchestra, along with the Scottish National Orchestra, in the U.K. premiere of Stockhausen's Gruppen für drei orchester. The following year he would lead the orchestra in its first performance at the BBC Proms. The orchestra expanded further under Del Mar, and in 1963 was renamed the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Following Del Mar's departure in 1965, the BBC SSO had a number of principal conductors, including James Loughran (1965-1971), Christopher Seaman (1971-1977), and Jerzy Maksymiuk (1983-1993). In 2003, Ilan Volkov became the youngest chief conductor of a BBC orchestra; during Volkov's tenure, the orchestra moved to its new home at City Halls in Glasgow. He served as chief conductor until 2009. In 2016, Thomas Dausgaard was named chief conductor with a contract running through 2022.
In the 1990s, while continuing to perform for BBC programming, the BBC SSO began performing more often in public. It went on international tours across Europe, the Americas, India, and China. The orchestra also attended more festivals, including the Cheltenham Festival and the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.
Alongside its live broadcast performances, the BBC SSO has released a multitude of commercial recordings, with a majority on the Hyperion label. The BBC SSO under Dausgaard released a recording of Sibelius' Kullervo in 2019 on Hyperion.
© Keith Finke /TiVo
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Hubay: Violin Concertos Nos. 3 & 4 (Hyperion Romantic Violin Concerto 3)
Hagaï Shaham, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Apr 2003
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis; Konzertmusik; Mathis der Maler
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 24 Nov 2013
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Classical Music for Meditation - 50 of the Best
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Naxos Special Projects on 1 Nov 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 2 & Other Works (Hyperion Romantic Violin Concerto 21)
Jack Liebeck, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 30 Dec 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bennett: Orchestral Works, Vol. 4
John Wilson, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Michael McHale
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on 1 May 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bennett: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1
John Wilson, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Colin Currie
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on 1 Nov 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Moszkowski: Piano Concerto, Op. 3 (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 68)
Ludmil Angelov, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Kiradjiev
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Jul 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Różycki: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 etc. (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 67)
Jonathan Plowright, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Łukasz Borowicz
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 29 Jan 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Młynarski & Zarzycki: Violin Concertos (Hyperion Romantic Violin Concerto 15)
Eugene Ugorski, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Michał Dworzynski
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 31 Mar 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Saint-Saëns: Violin Concertos Nos. 1, 2 & 3 (Hyperion Romantic Violin Concerto 1)
Philippe Graffin, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Aug 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Arensky: Violin Concerto; Taneyev: Suite de concert (Hyperion Romantic Violin Concerto 7)
Ilya Gringolts, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ilan Volkov
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Feb 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sterndale Bennett: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-3 (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 74)
Howard Shelley, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 2 Mar 2018
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
MacCunn: Land of the Mountain and the Flood & Other Orchestral Works
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Nov 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Britten: Piano Concerto; Diversions; Young Apollo
Steven Osborne, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ilan Volkov
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Sep 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bartok: The Miraculous Mandarin
Thomas Dausgaard, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by PM Classics Ltd. on 26 Feb 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Lipkin: Symphonies Nos. 1-3
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Lionel Friend, Sir Edward Downes, Adrian Leaper
Classical - Released by Lyrita on 1 Apr 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bennett: Orchestral Works, Vol 1
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Colin Currie, John Wilson
Classical - Released by Chandos on 1 Nov 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony No. 7
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Donald Runnicles
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 2 Dec 2012
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Saint-Saëns: Cello Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 etc. (Hyperion Romantic Cello Concerto 5)
Natalie Clein, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Manze
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 31 Aug 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Lassen, P. Scharwenka & Langgaard: Violin Concertos (Hyperion Romantic Violin Concerto 22)
Linus Roth, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Antony Hermus
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 31 May 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Erik Chisholm: Violin Concerto & Dance Suite
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Sep 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo